Days draw to a close for Glenview blog on town government

June 25, 2008|By Courtney Flynn, Tribune reporter

When they founded a Web site chronicling Glenview government, Sandy Hausman and her husband, Dean Schott, were criticized, even threatened, the couple said. They were accused of being nasty and overly negative, and critics launched an anonymous rival newsletter in response.

Eight years later, the site still has detractors, but it has made some headway: Hausman will ride on the Home Town Heroes float in the village's 4th of July parade.

"In the scheme of things, it's too funny," said Hausman, 55, who has lived in Glenview for 15 years. "There was a time when people would have loved to run me out of town on a rail."

Love it or hate it, The Glenview Watch is a must-read for many residents and even some village officials. But its days of ruffling feathers may be ending as Hausman, the site's main writer, has taken a public radio job and she and her husband will be moving to Virginia.

"At this point, the future [of Glenview Watch] is uncertain," Hausman said. "If nobody comes forward to write it, I'm not sure it can be done. I would say it's not going to be out there unless we find somebody to do the writing."

While its potential demise saddens some loyal readers, others say good riddance.

"I felt it was mean-spirited and did not serve the best interests of the community," said former Village President Larry Carlson, who frequently butted heads with Hausman. "I will not miss it."

Glenview Watch is one of a growing number of resident-driven, free Web sites and blogs that have sprouted in Chicago-area communities in recent years. Many of the sites, such as foxlakesux.org in north suburban Fox Lake and morsehellhole.blogspot .com in Chicago's Rogers Park neighborhood, serve as forums for community gripes.

Glenview Watch has been around longer and developed more of a following than most.

Hausman said her goal has been to provide closer coverage of municipal government, which she said had been lacking.

In the site's first year in 2000, it generated about 6,000 hits a month, Hausman said. This year the site has averaged 20,000 hits a month, said Jeff Axelrod, who helped with a recent redesign. The volunteer staff grew too. One resident became a regular contributor and two others help edit.

The site features relatively short postings, sometimes with photos.

Readers post comments, often anonymously, but if the dialogue becomes uncivil, Hausman says she steps in to edit. She typically posts new entries once every week or two.

Any donations sent in to support the site are used to help defray operating costs, such as Web hosting, notepads and gas to drive to meetings, Hausman said.

She said the site grew out of concerns about the development of the former Naval Air Station Glenview. Glenview Watch went on to cover everything from Village Board meetings to the saga of a 2,000-pound bull named Bart, who lived at Glenview's Wagner Farm and was saved from the slaughterhouse.

The site also has published verbatim quotes, rankling village officials, who sometimes stumbled over words, she said.

Glenview Watch also frequently adds editor's notes after postings that some say are unfair and one-sided.

The disdain was evident in a comment from a former trustee that Hausman reported out of a board meeting and posted in a 2001 edition of Glenview Watch.

"I don't mind, Ms. Hausman, you coming up and raising questions about issues on the Village Board," the posting said.

"What I do mind, though, is you coming up here and having the audacity to hawk The Glenview Watch."

He went on to say some even referred to the site by way of a profane acronym, Hausman said.

Village President Kerry Cummings would not comment on the site's merits, but said she does not read Glenview Watch because it publishes anonymous comments that don't indicate the perspective of the people who post them.

"Our government was founded on freedom of speech, but what goes along with that is a responsibility for readers to identify themselves," Cummings said. "I have concerns about the anonymity."

Some regular readers said it has added value to the community and enables them to stay connected in a town of more than 46,000.

"Take it or leave it," Laura Lally said. "Or don't read it if you don't like it."

For all of the mixed reactions, Hausman said the site did its part to spur change in the community.

"I think a lot of what we've done is raise questions and knit together, as I like to say, the grumpy people of Glenview," she said.

"What we were doing was not mean-spirited, nor was it personal. It was about politics."